Canadian Railway Museum

Have you ever discovered a tourist attraction near where you've lived for years that gave you a surprising insight into the area you lived?  Well, that about sums up my thoughts on the Halton County Railway Museum we visited near the end of my stay in Ontario. 

It was great to see how the electric railway system progressed in southern Ontario and hear some behind-the-scene stories of its development.  As advertised, the museum has a collection of railcars, work equipment and buses from the late nineteenth century to the mid-1990s, as well as an historic railway station.

Besides riding one of the original open street cars used in early Toronto, we got to hear how the Halton County Radial Railway has been used for a number of films, TV shows, music videos and commercials over the years as either the main focus or a backdrop.  An older gentleman who acts as conductor for the operating streetcar, filled us in on how the museum was used in the taping of Anne of Green Gables, among other productions.

The conductor went on to tell how the Rockwood station, built in 1912 by the Grand Trunk Railway, was moved in 1971 from its original location along the tracks to where it now serves as a museum piece.  I found this especially interesting because it was set up with antique equipment to serve as a reminder of the typical suburban station of its time.